The Chronicle makes the following endorsements in eight criminal court races.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Published
5:30 am CDT, Monday, October 11, 2010

The 22 criminal district courts in Harris County process all felony charges against defendants 17 years or older or juveniles certified as adults. Violations can range from possession of small amounts of illegal drugs to capital murder cases. The overburdened courts system needs innovative solutions to alleviate jail overcrowding, improve indigent representation and shorten the time between arrest and trial. In eight of the 13 contests on the November ballot for criminal court benches, the Chronicle makes these endorsements with the aim of blending judicial experience and fresh perspectives. The remaining five endorsements will run this week.

180th Criminal District Court:We urge voters to support incumbent Judge Marc Brown, a Republican who graduated from the University of Houston Law School and served as a Harris County prosecutor for 22 years. He was appointed to the bench by Gov. Rick Perry last July to replace retiring incumbent Debbie Stricklin. As an intern and then assistant district attorney, he handled the full gamut of offenses from misdemeanor speeding cases to capital murder and developed an expertise in Fourth Amendment search-and-seizure law. He has been an educator for lawyers, law enforcement personnel and judges on that complex legal issue. "I love criminal law," says Judge Brown, "and I love working for justice, and it's a very different role I play now than I did the last 22 years."

182nd Criminal District Court:The best choice for this court is Brandon Dudley, the Democratic challenger, a graduate of UH Law and a legislative aide to state Sen. Rodney Ellis. Dudley has played a key role in writing laws reforming the Texas courts system. As the senator's lead counsel on the Criminal Justice Committee, Dudley worked with lawmakers to improve the state's penal, criminal and evidentiary regulations. He says his career is dedicated to "keeping our communities safe and standing for the justice that protects your rights." We believe that Dudley, who has an educational background in social work as well as law, will bring an informed perspective and best-practices expertise to a courthouse badly in need of new direction.

183rd Criminal District Court:Incumbent Republican Vanessa Velasquez has a reputation for fairness and efficiency and should be returned to her court for another four-year term. A former Harris County chief felony prosecutor, she was appointed to the bench by Gov. Perry in 2005. Since taking over, she has reduced the most crowded criminal court docket to one where she says defendants who want jury trials can get them within 30 days. She serves on one of the county's four Success Through Addiction Recovery drug courts and says, "It really does matter to these folks that we intervene, that we are involved and we care."

184th Criminal District Court:The Chronicle believes one of the best criminal judge incumbents at the courthouse is Republican Jan Krocker, who was elected to the bench in 1995 after a career as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. A graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Krocker has volunteered to serve as the judge of a Felony Mental Health Court, which has been approved and is seeking funding. She has served two terms on a committee appointed by the governor to recommend handling of mentally ill offenders. This year she was named Judge of the Year by the International Crisis Intervention Team Conference for her work on law enforcement programs for the mentally ill.

185th Criminal District Court:Vivian King, the Democratic challenger, is a board-certified criminal defense attorney who has campaigned on the issue of increasing the number of pre-trial bonds granted to defendants charged with nonviolent offenses. Over 60 percent of those held in county jail are awaiting court dates but cannot afford cash bonds. King, a graduate of Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law, says that amounts to punishing defendants before they are tried, and "we are smart enough to do it better." King will add diversity to the courts and a passion for social as well as criminal justice.

208th Criminal District Court:Loretta Johnson Muldrow, a Democratic defense attorney, is the best choice for this criminal bench. She is a UT Law graduate and former Harris County prosecutor. She specializes in serious felonies, including capital murder, and represents primarily indigent persons via court appointment. She believes her legal and life experiences, including a pre-law stint as a regional manager with Southwestern Bell, equip her to administer fair and equitable justice and run an efficient court. Says Muldrow: "I don't think the public should feel I am elevated above them, because that's the people's court."

209th Criminal District Court:Veteran Republican jurist Mike McSpadden is a proven, highly regarded criminal judge who deserves to be re-elected. A former Harris County prosecutor, Mc-Spadden was appointed to the bench in 1982 and has since won election six times. He was overwhelmingly rated well-qualified in the Houston Bar Association qualification survey and favored by more than 3-1 in its judicial preference poll. Recognizing the large number of nonviolent defendants in county jail for small amounts of narcotics that worsen overcrowding there, McSpadden has repeatedly sought state legislation to make a gram or less of drugs a misdemeanor rather than a felony. He is a strong proponent for an independent crime lab. According to McSpadden, because of lack of oversight at the Houston Crime Lab, "we probably sent a lot of people to state jail based upon faulty results."

228th Criminal District Court:The Chronicle endorses incumbent Marc Carter, one of two black Republicans on the criminal bench and an Army veteran who presides over the innovative veterans' drug court program. The court aims to give veterans who engage in drug or alcohol abuse after serving stressful service tours a second chance. PBS featured an interview with Judge Carter and highlighted the case of Marty Gonzalez, a former Marine decorated for his combat service in Iraq. He was charged with wrecking his truck with a child in the vehicle while high on pain killers. Carter diverted Gonzalez into a probation-and-treatment program where he was a model participant. As the judge asked PBS, "Is this community better served by sending Marty Gonzalez to prison? Or is this community better served by taking this individual and showing some compassion for his service to his country?"